Indiana House Democrats choose Pelath as leader

Pledges to provide a true, alternative vision for state

INDIANAPOLIS - Two days after an Election Day shellacking that saw Democrats lose nine seats in the Indiana House of Representatives, Democratic legislators selected Rep. Scott Pelath of Michigan City as their new minority leader.

He was chosen just months after the mid-campaign ouster of Rep. B. Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, who for the last decade had served as House speaker when Democrats were in charge and minority leader when Republicans held the majority.

Pelath's selection was an effort to turn the page from years of Bauer's battles with outgoing Gov. Mitch Daniels and current House Speaker Brian Bosma — in part out of necessity since Republicans now hold a 69-seat supermajority in the chamber.

"We are going to learn to work better. We are going to learn to provide a true, alternative vision for how this state should be led," Pelath said.

"We are going to critique the majority party when we think they're wrong, but when we think they're right, we're going to be prepared to help. And mostly, we're going to work every day to form a new governing coalition in this state."

He said a key focus will be developing policy proposals for Democrats to advance. That would be a departure from Bauer, who harshly critiqued Republicans but was criticized for failing to offer his own party's vision.

In 2011, Bauer led House Democrats on a five-week trip to Urbana, Ill., as they boycotted majority Republicans' efforts. In 2012, he led the caucus to skip nine days in what became a rolling boycott.

"It's not about the exercise of power. It's about doing the hard work of convincing the people of a better direction," Pelath said. "It's about doing the basics: messaging, educating, setting a clear alternative. A priority of mine for the caucus is policy development."

In a statement, Bosma, the Republican speaker from Indianapolis, congratulated Pelath.

"Scott is an honorable and thoughtful legislator, and I pledge to keep the lines of communication open and do my best to make him and his leadership team effective leaders of their caucus," Bosma said.

"I have consistently said that we will work with the willing, and work around those who are not. Even with a supermajority — this remains true."

Democrats hold just 31 of the 100 House seats, and Republicans controlled last year's redistricting process, but as for whether Democrats can climb out of their minority status, the No. 2 House Democrat, Rep. Linda Lawson of Hammond, said they started working on the 2014 election Tuesday night.

Asked whether they expect the new Republican supermajority to overreach, Lawson answered:

"Speaker Bosma's going to have many of his own challenges, and when the people grant you a mandate, overreach is always a danger," Pelath said. "It'll be our duty to remind the public when we think they're doing that."

The House Democrats' decision on a caucus leader was the only one that included any suspense.

House Republicans opted to keep Bosma as speaker. It's a role he's had since they assumed majority status in 2010 and which he held previously in 2005 and 2006, when Republicans were also in the majority.

In the Senate, where the GOP holds 37 out of 50 seats, Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, kept his role.

Senate Democrats, who lost Minority Leader Vi Simpson, D-Ellettsville, because she was the losing candidate for lieutenant governor, promoted her second-in-command, Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson.